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WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Ranked No. 17 in the world, Roberto Bautista Agut will make his second appearance at the Winston-Salem Open this year after being awarded a wild card into the tournament late Wednesday.
Bautista Agut is having an outstanding 2016 having won two titles to date and is now just three spots off his career-best ranking of No. 14 in the world. Already, he has won two tournaments this year in winning at Auckland and Sofia. In Auckland, he defeated two-time WSO champion John Isner and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga en route to the finals, where he beat Jack Sock.
“Roberto is having a fantastic year in 2016, plain and simple,” said Winston-Salem Open Tournament Director Bill Oakes. “Currently ranked No. 17 in the world, he has been in the Top 20 since January and we’re excited to add another stellar player to our field.”
At the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Bautista Agut reached the quarterfinals before falling to eventual silver medalist Juan Martin del Potro. The 28-year-old Spaniard also reached the fourth round at Roland Garros and the Australian Open and the third round at Wimbledon. He boasts a 34-15 record for 2016.
In his career, Bautista Agut owns four career ATP World Tour titles on four different surfaces. He won on an indoor hardcourt at Sofia and an outdoor hardcourt at Auckland this year, but prior to that he won on clay at Stuttgart in 2014 and on grass at s-Hertogenbosch, also in 2014.
The 2014 season was a real breakthrough for Bautista Agut as he reached a career-high No. 14 in October of that year. At year’s end, Bautista Agut was voted the 2014 ATP World Tour Most Improved Player in a vote of the players.
“In recent years, we have tried to bring Roberto to our tournament but for one reason or another it just has not worked out,” Oakes said. “We had great conversations this year and we’re happy to be able to bring Roberto back to Winston-Salem this year as a wild card.”
Last year, Bautista Agut was in the initial release of the singles field in July after signing up before the tournament, but withdrew from the tournament in the days leading up to competition. In Bautista Agut’s first appearance at the WSO in 2013, he reached the third round of the tournament before falling to Ricardas Berankis 6-3, 6-3.